Accreditation standards

having access to a suitable complaints mechanism that can be used by your clients

having a national police check no older than four months

not being prohibited under a law of a state or territory from working with children

meeting the 'working with children' requirements in the state or territory that you provide services, if applicable

being suitable to perform the functions and duties of an FDR practitioner, and

it is a condition of accreditation to be covered by professional indemnity insurance.

Qualifications and competencies

A person is required to meet criteria for accreditation relating to qualifications and competencies, which includes competency in screening and assessing families for family violence and child abuse.

Generally, competencies are met through training which includes a workplace assessment under direct observation to demonstrate competency in delivering services to clients, including clients affected by family violence.

Practitioners can meet this accreditation requirement by:

completing the full Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution (or the higher education provider equivalent)
or

have an appropriate qualification and competency in the six compulsory units from the Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution (or the higher education provider equivalent)
or

have accreditation under the National Mediation Accreditation System (see information below about NMAS) and competency in the six compulsory units from the Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution (or the higher education provider equivalent).

You can achieve units of competency for the Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution (CHC81115) through a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) or a higher education provider that has certified it offers an equivalent course listed below.

Graduates with the units of competency from CHC80308 will continue to be accepted for accreditation purposes if the qualification was issued in the appropriate timeframe (on or before 7 June 2017).

Practitioners may also meet accreditation requirements if they were included in the Family Dispute Resolution Register on 30 June 2009 and achieved competency in the three specified units (or higher education provider equivalent) before 1 July 2011.

The title 'Vocational' was removed from the course name in January 2015. Qualifications with the former title will continue to be accepted for accreditation purposes.

National Mediator Accreditation System

Information about the National Mediator Accreditation System (NMAS) can be found on the Mediator Standards Board website.

To issue section 60I certificates, mediators accredited under NMAS still need to meet the FDR accreditation standards to become an accredited FDR practitioner.

Higher education equivalent qualifications

Higher education providers are allowed to certify to this department that their postgraduate course or units are equivalent to those of the Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution.

The following higher education providers had certified courses or units they offered prior to the cessation of the course (on 7 June 2017) which were equivalent to the six compulsory units of the Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution (CHC80308):

Bond University

James Cook University

Queensland University of Technology

The College of Law.

Statements of attainment for these courses will continue to be accepted for accreditation if they were issued in the appropriate timeframe.

The following higher education providers have certified courses or units they offer are equivalent to the six compulsory units of the Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution (CHC81115):

Bond University

Queensland University of Technology

The College of Law.

For information about the courses offered, please enquire with the higher education provider directly.

When applying for accreditation to be an FDR practitioner, applicants must provide an appropriate qualification, or current NMAS accreditation, to support them undertaking the equivalent course to the six compulsory units of the Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution offered by the higher education providers listed above.

If you are a higher education provider and you want to certify your qualification, you should contact the Practitioner Accreditation Unit.​​